Part 3 (2/2)

”Why shouldn't he be?”

Mr. Waddington shrugged his immense shoulders. ”It's a question of taste. If he _likes_ to hang about the place after his behaviour--”

”Poor boy! whatever has he done? 'Behaviour' makes it sound as if it had been something awful.”

”We needn't go into it, I think.”

”But you _are_ going into it, darling, all the time. Do you mean to keep it up against him for ever?”

”I'm not keeping anything up. What Ralph Bevan does is no concern of mine. Since I'm not to be inconvenienced by it--since Miss Madden has come to my rescue so charmingly--I shall not give it another thought.”

He turned to Barbara as to a change of subject. ”Had you any difficulty”--(his voice was measured and important)--”in finding your way here?”

”None at all.”

”Ah, that one-thirty train is excellent. Excellent. But if you had not told the guard to stop at the Hill you would have been carried on to Cheltenham. Which would have been very awkward for you. Very awkward indeed.”

”My dear Horatio, what did you suppose she _would_ do?”

”My dear f.a.n.n.y, there are many things she might have done. She might have got into the wrong coach at Paddington and been carried on to Worcester.”

”And that,” said Barbara, ”would have been much worse than Cheltenham.”

”The very thought of it,” said f.a.n.n.y, ”makes me shudder. But thank G.o.d, Barbara, you didn't do any of those things.”

Mr. Waddington s.h.i.+fted the crossing of his legs as a big dog s.h.i.+fts his paws when you laugh at him; the more f.a.n.n.y laughed the more dignified and solemn he became.

”You haven't told me yet, Horatio, what you did in London.”

”I was just going to tell you when Miss Madden--so delightfully--came in.”

At that Barbara thought it discreet to dismiss herself, but f.a.n.n.y called her back. ”What are you running away for? He didn't do anything in London he wouldn't like you to hear about.”

”On the contrary, I particularly wish Miss Madden to hear about it. I am starting a branch of the National League of Liberty in Wyck. You may have heard of it?”

”Yes. I've _heard_ of it. I've even seen the prospectus.”

”Good. Well, f.a.n.n.y, I lunched yesterday with Sir Maurice Gedge, and he's as keen as mustard. He agrees with me that the League will be no good, no good at all, until it's taken up strong in the provinces. He wants me to start at once. Just as soon as I can get my Committee.”

”My dear, if you've got to have a Committee first you'll never start.”

”It depends altogether on who I get. And it'll be _my_ Committee. Sir Maurice was very emphatic about that. He agrees with me that if you want a thing done, and done well, you must do it yourself. There can only be _one_ moving spirit. The Committee will have nothing to do but carry out my ideas.”

”Then be sure you get a Committee that hasn't any of its own.”

”That will not be difficult,” said Mr. Waddington, ”in Wyck.... The first thing is the prospectus. That's where you come in, Miss Madden.”

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